


Double Trouble

by luciferwearsprada



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age II
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Two Pairs of Hawke Twins, Angst and Humor, Bad Jokes, High School Musical References, Hockey, Multi, Past Character Death, Past Child Abuse, Violence, anger issues, but not too much, cursing, featuring others from the da games, garrett loves dragons, gonna tag em maybe, honestly idk where the angst came from but it's there, i might add more tags but idk, no anders hate, no carver hate
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-06
Updated: 2016-12-12
Packaged: 2018-05-12 06:13:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 9,307
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5655436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/luciferwearsprada/pseuds/luciferwearsprada
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which there are two pairs of Hawke twins, Garrett is clumsy (both irl and socially) and horrible hsm trash, Marian is a professional ice hockey player with anger issues, Varric cheats at cards, Isabela is a bartender and a horrible influence, and Fenris is too hot for his own good.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Back Together

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My first DA fanfic! I've been in this fandom for a while now but never had the inspiration to write a thing - until I went to a hockey game and BOOM this thing happened.  
> I can't promise fast updates because I'm still in school and have to deal with that, but I did write a few chapters before posting this first one so I have emergency backup in case something happens.  
> Just a heads up: Every 2nd chapter is a flashback to the Hawkes' childhoods, so those will be relatively short and you don't necessarily have to read them but I can recommend it if you want some backstory. Chapters that deal with death and/or abuse will have a warning at the start in case that triggers anyone, and those will mainly be the backstory chapters so they can be more easily avoided.

Garrett watched his sister get brutally smashed against the barrier for the eleventh time that evening. He winced even though he knew she wasn’t hurt, and that the loud sound shouldn’t scare him anymore. Still, he’d grown up with her, he’d seen the countless amounts of scratches, cuts, gashes, and scars she’d gotten over the years. Next to him his other sister, Bethany, cheered loudly as Marian’s team scored another goal - one minute left, 6:4, no way the other team was getting that back.

It wasn’t always that all four of them - Garrett, Bethany, Carver, and their mother Leandra - managed to attend one of Marian’s games. She was busy playing for the Lothering Penguins (a brilliant name indeed), traveling to different cities and sometimes even countries. Though Lothering was a relatively small city, their hockey team was extremely successful. Luckily for the Hawke family, tonight they were playing against the Kirkwall IceCats (an even more brilliant name), and Leandra had decided to move to said large city around a year ago. Marian hadn’t come with them - the Penguins were her team, and she’d stated multiple times that she’d refuse even if the IceCats’ manager offered her a spot.

Of course, that wasn’t all too bad since it just meant they had to visit Lothering a lot, which they all loved. Some of the memories brought back on those trips could be painful, but the Hawkes were strong together and could always count on each other. Even if Carver had his grumpy moments at times and Marian could get very angry very quickly, they stuck together through everything.

Loud screams ripped Garrett out of his (a little too emotional) thoughts, and he automatically jumped up out of his seat and threw his arms into the air. The game was finished. The Lothering Penguins beat the Kirkwall IceCats on their home turf. Sweet, sweet victory.

Marian skated over to where her family sat and took off her helmet. Her blue eyes sparkled as she let out a cheer and bumped against the barrier. “Was that great or what?” she yelled.

“Amazing!” Bethany shouted back as Carver gave their older sister a thumbs up.

Leandra rushed down to the barrier to talk to Marian. The other three couldn't hear what she was saying, but they could guess.

“This is so worth the fact that Varric will kill me,” Garrett said with a satisfied grin, picking the nacho crumbs out of his beard. His best friend didn’t care for hockey, but was very patriotic when it came to his “very, very, extremely shitty” home.

“Do Varric and Marian know each other?” Bethany asked.

Garrett shook his head. “They were never free at the same time.”

“Well… she always has time after a big game, right? We could invite him over!”

“You just want that because that means Isabela will come too,” Carver shouted over his shoulder. He’d joined their mother down at the rink.

Marian looked up at them. “Isabela? The extremely attractive woman Garret’s friends with?”

Carver nodded. “Yep, Bethy’s been crushing on her.”

“I am not crushing on her!” Bethany protested.

“Of course not.” Grinning, Garrett dragged her down to the rest of their family, letting his twin sister pull him in a tight, painful hug.

“We can discuss all your love lives over dinner.” Leandra smiled at her children, but her crossed arms signaled she wouldn’t tolerate much more bickering.

“Yes, ma’am.” Garrett saluted.

Dinner was always more fun when Marian was there. They all got to lounge around on the couch and in beanbags, though Carver always had to sit on the floor because Garrett liked taking up enough space for three people. The discussions were light-hearted; only rarely did they ever dive into more serious topics. When Marian was in a really good mood the others knew better than to pull her out of it.

It wasn’t that Marian had serious problems or anything, but she did have some anger issues. That was one of the reasons she started hockey - it helped her keep everything under control. She was getting a lot better, and it was really no comparison to when she was younger. Back then, she’d broken countless things around the house, including her own bones. Never on purpose, mind you, but when she was angry enough to punch a wall, she literally did that, without thinking of possible consequences. It got worse again after Malcolm, their father, died. Fourteen-year-old Marian screamed and screamed and broke a window before finally collapsing in a pile of sobs. None of the others wanted to see her in a state like that again.

Luckily, it was rare to see her very angry nowadays. Twelve years had passed since Malcolm’s death, three of those Garrett had taken care of his twin sister and dragged her to the therapist. She was incredibly thankful for him, and even more thankful that he never lost it himself whilst she’d been in that state.

“… and ever since that day I’ve been 110% convinced Varric’s doing some business on the black market.”

Carver snorted and shook his head. “You have the strangest friends, Garrett.”

“Not what you said when you saw Merrill!” Bethany yelled. Leandra didn’t bother to try and tell her to quiet down.

“Merrill?” Marian looked up from her chicken. “Who’s _Merrill_?”

“The cutest person you’ll ever meet.” Garrett moved to grab his phone, accidentally knocking over the salt. “Shit!”

“You’re such a mess, Gary!”

“Shut up. And don’t call me that, _Beth_!”

“Hey!”

“Children,” Leandra said calmly, “not today. Garrett, clean that up. Bethany, feet off the coffee table.”

Marian snickered and stretched in her beanbag.

“You never tell us about your teammates, you know.” Carver looked at his older sister from his spot on the floor.

“None of them are criminals, so you’ll probably be disappointed.” She pursed her lips. “Although… one of them might be a witch or something. She’s totally into tarot cards and has a shitton of candles and incense. And she always looks like she’s above shoving people around for a puck, but she can be incredibly brutal.”

“Which one is she?” Leandra asked.

“Morrigan. Black hair, yellow eyes, terrifying glare. Her mother is even scarier.”

“How so?”

“The first times she showed up she kind of looked… well, homeless? Worn-out clothes and stuff. Then she comes to one of our games and _bam_ \- dark makeup, expensive dress, push-up bra, dramatic hair. And she’s into the same witchy stuff as Morrigan.” Marian took a sip of her water. “But _much_ more interesting - Bethy, you have a crush?”

Bethany choked on the rice she was just eating.

Garrett answered for her as he finished cleaning up the mess he’d made. “Yep, on one of my best friends. I told you about her, right? Isabela, bartender, low-cut dresses, never wears pants?”

“Right, right.” Marian nodded. “You think she’d be good for Bethy?”

“I’m right here!”

“Well,” Garrett ignored his younger sister, “she’s not the best influence, but she’s actually a good person. Once you see past the constant innuendos.”

“Sounds like a friend of mine.”

“Another teammate?” Carver was interested again. He’d been considering joining the Kirkwall baseball team, and was always curious to hear about the Penguins’ stories.

“No, the boyfriend of a teammate. His name’s Zevran, and I swear… he’s one of the most attractive people you’ll ever see. Problem is, he knows it.”

“Same with Bela. She’s very confident about her boobs.”

Leandra stood up from her rocking chair - a birthday present from her children. “I think I’ll go lay down. My headaches have been getting stronger again.”

Immediately, Garrett was on his feet. “Do you want tea? Water? Anything?”

His mother shook her head with a smile. “No, thank you. You kids have fun, and don’t stay up too late! Bethy, you have a morning class tomorrow, don’t forget.”

“I won’t, I won’t.”

They all bid Leandra good night. Silence settled upon them once she was gone, and the playful atmosphere from before seemed to have vanished.

“How’s theater treating you, Bethy?” Marian asked in a soft voice after a few moments of nothing.

“Oh, good, very good! We’re working on abstract theater right now, so there’s a lot of weird stuff happening, but it’s fun!”

Marian nodded, and the silence returned.

Eventually, Garrett couldn’t stand it anymore and stood up. “Who’s up for ice cream and an episode of Friends?”


	2. Memories the First

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Hints at child abuse

Six-year-old Garrett cries, clutching his broken toy truck to his chest. His sister isn’t there to defend him. Across the playground, a group of boys laugh at him.

He feels a soft hand on his arm and looks up.

It’s another boy his age, with soft dark hair and a gentle smile. “Are you alright?” he asks.

Garrett sniffs and shakes his head.

“What did they do?”

He points at his truck.

“Do you want me to tell the teacher?”

His eyes widen and he rapidly shakes his head. “No, no!! That’ll just make them want to do it again! If I don’t do anything, they’ll stop.”

“And if they don’t?”

“My sister will be back tomorrow.”

The other boy sits down next to him, bringing his knees to his chest. “You have to take care of yourself. Your sister can’t do it forever.”

“Too difficult,” Garrett mumbles.

“I’ll help you.”

“Really??” The tears are forgotten, and instead Garrett smiles widely.

“Really.” The boy nods and reaches behind him into the sandbox, pulling out a toy truck similar to Garrett’s. “You can have this for now.”

“Thank you!!” In his excitement, he forgets to ask the other’s name.

When he sees him again, there’s a big purple bruise on his cheek. He mumbles something about falling off his bike, but it doesn’t seem right.

Garrett doesn’t ask, but one day the boy is gone, and he still doesn’t know his name.


	3. New Faces, Old Faces

“Give me two seconds, I have to settle something real quick.”

“And that’s supposed to convince me nothing illegal is going on?”

Garrett laughed and sat his twin down at one of the tables close to the bar. “Just a few moments, okay?”

“Fine, fine.” Marian grinned at him and waved as he left.

It wasn’t very crowded in the bar, but just enough for her skin to tingle lightly. Marian wasn’t a fan of crowds nor of bars, but she’d agreed to meet Garrett’s friends and she didn’t want to leave him hanging. She hated when they were unable to do something because she couldn’t control herself, especially when it would’ve made him happy. It had happened too often for her liking, and so she ignored the way she was starting to feel warmer and warmer.

She didn’t notice she’d been rapidly scratching at the table until a deep voice behind her pointed it out. 

“What did that poor table ever do to you?” 

Marian turned around and found herself looking at a shorter, smirking man. Shit, witty retorts were not her strength. “Just the usual,” she said eventually.

“Oh? And what might that be?” Now he’d sat down. To her own surprise, Marian was only intrigued by that, not annoyed.

She remembered something Garrett had shown her not too long ago, something from a website he found funny. “Sorry, you have to be at least a level 4 friend to unlock my tragic backstory.”

The man raised an amused eyebrow. “You know, you remind me of one of my friends. Although, he’s not as attractive as you are.”

Double shit, flirting. Marian maintained her composure on the outside, but inside she was frantically searching for a reply. What should she do? She didn’t want to shut him down bluntly, he wasn’t unattractive himself and he definitely had a charismatic aura, but… She was absolute crap at flirting. And she didn’t even know this man.

“Too far? Apologies.”

“Oh, no, that’s not…” Her eyes briefly flickered around the room, as if something here would help her. “I was just surprised.”

Behind her, she heard footsteps approaching and knew immediately who it was. Her brother to the rescue once again. Marian turned her head to greet him, when the man at her table called out, “Hawke!”

She turned back to him. “Hm?”

“Varric!” Garrett plopped down next to his sister. “I see you’ve met Marian already.”

Triple shit.

“Ah, that explains the resemblance. We were just talking, we didn’t get to the whole names part yet.”

“Talking, I see.” He knew. He’d heard. _Please ground, open up and take me now._

She felt her brother’s hand on her wrist and looked down to see the marks where she’d pressed her fingernails too hard into her skin.

“You okay?” Garrett was using his usual taking-care-of-my-explosive-sister voice, soft and caring.

Marian cleared her throat. “Yeah, fine. Are we gonna meet your other friends?”

“Well, Merrill unfortunately can’t come so you have to wait until you meet the object of Carver’s desire, but Isabela should be here any second. In the meantime, Varric is going to be the world’s best best friend and get us some water.”

Varric snorted. “I’m taking on the role of manservant again, hm?”

“Sounds great,” Marian said out of reflex. Varric gave her a look she couldn’t read before standing up and leaving to the bar.

Garrett clicked his tongue once he was out of earshot. “I leave you alone for two seconds and you start flirting with my best friend?” he teased.

“Shut it, Gary.” Marian hit him, but didn’t bother hiding her smile. He wrapped one arm around her and pulled her close, resting his chin on her head as she leaned against him.

“Aww, Hawke cuddling! I wanna join!” Their short moment was interrupted by a loud female voice.

“Isabela!” Garrett practically yelled as he stood up and hugged the woman tightly.

Marian snickered. “Are you guys always this loud when you see each other?”

“Yep!” Isabela sat down on Garrett’s chair, ignoring the protests. “And you must be Marian. You two look so similar!”

“Well, we _are_ twins.”

“Yeah, yeah, but still! That doesn’t have to mean anything.”

Garrett sat down across from them, pouting. “I feel ignored.”

“You can have my undivided attention later, kitten, for now I have to get to know this beautiful woman!”

Marian laughed. “I swear, you sound exactly like one of my friends.”

“Oh?” Isabela cocked her head. “Who?”

“His name’s Zevran, and—”

“You know Zev??”

“ _You_ know Zev?”

“I don’t know Zev…” Garrett mumbled. “Why don’t I know Zev?”

“How do you know him?”

“Well,” Isabela leaned close to Marian with a devious smirk, “how does _anyone_ know Zev?”

“Touché. Though, to be fair, that’s not how I know him.”

“Oh?”

“He’s one of my teammates’ boyfriends. I play for the Lothering Penguins.”

“Right, the hockey team! Kitten here told me all about it.”

“Kitten, hm?” Marian glanced at her brother with playfully narrowed eyes.

“My nickname for him and Merrill. They’re both so adorable and clueless…”

“I am not!” Garrett pouted harder. “At least not on Merrill’s level.”

“Are you talking shit about Daisy?” Varric returned with two glasses of water, as asked, though the bottle under his arm looked suspiciously like whiskey.

“I would never!! Daisy is a wonderful human being. Beautiful cinnamon roll, too good for this world, too pure.”

Marian blinked a few times. “I’m not even going to pretend I understood a word of that.”

“You sound exactly like Aveline when you say that.”

“Oh, the big girl!” Isabela grabbed the bottle Varric was carrying - whiskey indeed - and opened it. “I’m so mad I never actually met her. I like strong women.”

“Don’t let her hear you say that,” Marian said with a laugh. “Or Bethany, for that matter.”

“How is Sunshine doing, anyway?” Varric settled on the fourth chair and materialized two small glasses out of nowhere.

“Sunshine?”

“Varric has nicknames for everybody,” Garrett explained, glad he wasn’t being ignored for talks about Zevran anymore. “Except for me.”

“I call you Hawke.”

“That’s my last name, Varric. And it won’t work whilst Marian’s here, everyone on her team always calls her Hawke. Anyway, Bethy’s Sunshine, Carver’s Junior,” Marian snorted, “Merrill’s Daisy, and Bela’s Rivaini.”

“Rivaini?”

“I come from the Rivaini family. They were these old nobles on some islands, a lot of pirates too. Legend talks about cannibalism as well, but I don’t feel like eating humans, so… well, at least not in _that_ way.”

Varric patted her shoulder and poured her some whiskey. “I’m proud of you.”

There were a few moments of comfortable silence as everyone sipped at their respective drinks, until Marian was done with her water and rested her chin on her hands. “So, what do the two of you do?”

“I bartend here,” Isabela answered. “That’s why I get free stuff.”

“No, you get free stuff because Corff owes me a ton of favors,” Varric interjected, finishing his drink.

“Corff?”

“The owner.”

“Ah.” Marian nodded slowly. “Garrett says you’re most likely involved in black market deals, how accurate is that?”

Everyone laughed. “Very,” Varric said with a wide grin. “No, kidding, but I do have a lot of connections. Unfortunately, I can’t tell you how many of them are fully legal, but I’m sure you can live with that. I’m a businessman and I write on the side.”

“Anything I would know?”

“Not unless you read porn,” Isabela replied, pouring herself yet another glass. “Ever heard of _Hard in Hightown_?”

“That one was not porn. It was about a guard breaking the rules for justice and shit.”

Garrett rolled his eyes. “You still named it _Hard in Hightown_. The porn one is _Swords and Shields_. I think you got those two titles mixed up.”

Marian had her hand pressed to her mouth in an attempt to stifle her laughter. “ _Hard in Hightown_ , I can’t fucking believe it.”

“And this is the guy you flirted with!”

“ _What_.” Isabela slammed down her glass. “Did I just hear that correctly?? Marian Hawke flirted with Varric Tethras?”

“The other way around, actually,” Garrett explained.

“ _What_.”

It took a lot of whiskey and compliments to calm Isabela down after that, and even more to get her to allow the two Hawkes to leave. Luckily she listened to reason - reason being Varric and his “magnificent chest hair”.

“Seriously Marian, his chest hair… it’s something else.”

Garrett patted Isabela’s head and got a slap on the butt in return, waving in Varric’s general direction as he and his sister made their way to his apartment. He had the guest room ready for her, the walls full of photos from their childhood, and the bed covered in enough pillows for her to get comfortable the way she liked it.

He went to bed first, knowing she’d stay up and chat with her team. Marian tucked him in jokingly and asked if he wanted a lullaby, but he declined saying that if he had to hear her sing he’d run away.

It took a bit due to the dog upstairs barking, but eventually he fell asleep beneath his giant glow-in-the-dark dragon sticker.

Not that anyone except Marian knew about that.


	4. Memories the Second

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Mentions of death, hints at child abuse.

There are two strong girls in their class - Marian and Aveline. Unsurprisingly, they are best friends, though Aveline is less prone to sudden outbursts and more calculated. When the teacher asks “four strong boys” to pick something up and carry it, Marian and Aveline stand up, shove the boys aside, and do it themselves. Eventually, the teachers know better.

Garrett admires his sister. She’s what he’s expected to be: athletic, powerful, headstrong. He prefers watching cartoons, decorating his room with dragons and Zac Efron posters.

Are you supposed to love High School Musical in 10th grade? He doesn’t care.

Some of the boys make fun of him, the same types of boys who broke his toys when they were younger. He learns to ignore them.

By now, he’s thought about the mystery boy from first grade a lot, though everyone always expresses surprise he’s remembered him. Garrett isn’t surprised. Yes, his memory isn’t the best, but it was an important moment in his life.

By now, he’s also realized why the boy showed up with bruises so often.

Sometimes, at night, he worries.

Those are the nights he wishes he could wake his sister up, but he doesn’t dare to. It’s been two years since their dad died. She’s unstable.

Their mom works a lot, taking care of their younger siblings and making enough money for the family. Sure, she comes from a rich background, but they don’t like her that much anymore. They never approved of Malcolm.

So it’s up to Garrett to take his sister to the therapist, write down every single bit of advice, and make sure Marian follows it. He loves his sister dearly and would do anything for her, but he can’t help but wonder… where did his teenage years go?

By the time he’s graduated, he looks back at high school and remembers only his sister. He doesn’t remember times with friends, boyfriends, or just for himself.

He loves Marian.

But he wonders if there’s more to him than that.


	5. Spilt Coffee

Marian was still asleep by the time Garrett woke up. He wasn’t surprised; she always had to get up early for practice and once she had some time to relax, she spent most of the day sleeping.

It was actually better for him this way. He had a mission this morning and needed it to stay secret in case it went horribly wrong. As he made his coffee, he listened for any signs of movement in the apartment above him. Sure enough, he heard the shuffling of feet, the sound of someone pulling out a chair, and, of course, the soft whining of a dog.

Garrett loved dogs. It probably ran in the family.

Admittedly, he and Bethany were the worst. Whilst the others simply enjoyed having dogs around, he and his younger sister would scream PUPPY whenever they saw one, even during a conversation, even if it wasn’t a puppy.

_Old dogs like being called puppies too, okay?_

With his favorite coffee mug in his hand (there was a dragon that changed color depending on the heat on it), Garrett left his apartment, triple-checking that he was actually wearing normal clothes as opposed to pajamas. He went up the stairs quietly and finally knocked on the door.

Nothing could’ve prepared him for what he saw.

There was a man, around his age, standing in the doorway. He had slightly messy white hair and flowing lines of white ink tattoos that contrasted his dark skin, as well as the deepest, greenest eyes Garrett had ever seen. He was wearing black sweatpants and a grey oversized t-shirt. One of his eyebrows were raised as he stifled a yawn.

Garrett spilled his coffee.

“What the fuck??”

“Shit!” His eyes were wide in horror. “Shit, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to, I just wanted to say hi and… your dog.”

Mystery Hot Guy stared at him.

“I— I hear it running around and barking a lot and…”

“Is it bothering you?”

_Oh no. That voice._ “No,” Garrett squeaked in the manliest way possible, “I was just hoping… maybe I can pet it?”

The silence that followed was awkward at best. Mystery Hot Guy seemed completely baffled by what he just heard, and it took him a while to answer. “Once you clean this up.”

“Okay,” Garrett squeaked again and raced downstairs to grab some paper towels and put away his mug.

“Garrett?”

Shit, Marian. “Just a sec!” he yelled, already on his way upstairs again. “Coffee’s in the kitchen!”

Mystery Hot Guy still stood in the doorway, an amused smirk on his way too attractive face. Garrett cursed inwardly as he cleaned up the coffee stains to the best of his ability, trying not to focus on the fact that he was on his knees in front of a guy who looked like _that_.

_Get your mind out of the gutter_ , he heard a voice that sounded a lot like Aveline scold him.

_Come on, kitten, look up at him!_ , his internal Isabela voice shouted. _And say something witty about this!_

_Hawke and witty?_  That was Varric. _Please, he’ll never even manage one word._

Determined to prove mental Varric wrong, Garrett lifted his gaze and stared straight into those deep emerald eyes.

“Yes?”

It took Garrett just a tiny bit too long to realize he’d been spoken to. “Oh!” he said loudly. “I— I’m done, and… your dog.”

Mystery Hot Guy chuckled. _Cute_. “Right, come in.”

And so Garrett did.

He was greeted by a large, happy dog who barked and jumped at him, tail wagging at the speed of light as Garrett pet and complimented him.

“Oh, look at you,” he cooed, “such a good boy! And so handsome!”

The dog rolled onto his back and made happy noises once Garrett rubbed his tummy.

“He’s a bit of an attention whore,” a deep voice said.

Right, Mystery Hot Guy.

Garrett choked on nothing and turned around. “W-well, he’s not the only one who has my attention…”

He regretted saying that immediately, but to his surprise the stranger cleared his throat and— was that a _blush_?

_Oh no._

This was bad. Garrett liked hot guys, he liked strong guys, he liked cute guys. And whilst he wasn’t sure how strong this guy was, he was definitely setting the standards for hotness and cuteness way too high.

A deadly combo.

“What’s his name?” Garrett asked into the awkward silence, mentally celebrating that his voice didn’t crack this time.

That brought Mystery Hot Guy back on the ground, and he said with the most serious expression Garrett had ever seen on anyone, “Lisa. He doesn’t conform to gender norms.”

It took half a second before Garrett started laughing his too-loud snort-laugh, the one where he had to hold his tummy and cover his mouth. He was incredibly embarrassed but couldn’t stop, especially not when Mystery Hot Guy smirked at him that way.

“I’m glad I could amuse you.”

“Oh, you can do more than that.”

Wait.

Rewind.

The glint in Mystery Hot Guy’s eyes was gone.

Garrett had fucked up.

“I have to go,” he squeaked and practically raced out of the apartment and down the stairs, into the waiting arms of his far too smug sister.

“What on earth were you doing up there?” Marian asked, holding a _Hello Kitty_ coffee mug.

“Petting a dog?” Garrett’s voice was small, like he was confessing he broke his mom’s lamp.

Marian sighed and shook her head, pulling her twin inside and closing the door. “You’re a mess, Garrett,” she said fondly.

“I know.” He collapsed on the couch and buried his face in his hands. “The dog’s owner was too hot.”

His sister laughed and shoved him to the side so she could join him on the couch, feet on the coffee table. Any other time, Garrett would’ve pointed it out in a playfully stern voice, but right now he was too busy contemplating his own failure.

“Do you at least know his name?”

_Shit._

“Garrett!”

“I’m sorry!” he whined. “He was really really hot!!”

“I’m so disappointed.”

“You sound like Varric when you say that.”

At the mention of his name, Marian went quiet. Garrett saw the chance to change the conversation topic and looked up at her with a wicked smirk.

“Oh, no.” Marian held up her hands in a defensive gesture. “No, no, no.”

“You were flirting with him.”

“He was flirting with me, and stop smiling like that.”

Instead of listening, Garrett edged closer. “You didn’t mind it. You usually mind it.”

“Oh my god, shut up.”

“You totally think he’s cute.”

“You sound like fucking Gretchen from Mean Girls, please shut up.”

“Ah ha!” He pointed at her triumphantly. “That was not a denial.”

She threw a pillow at him.

“You think my best friend’s cute!”

“Garrett, I swear to fucking Jesus or whatever, shut the fuck up!”

“Embrace it! This could be the start—” He was rudely interrupted when she pushed him off the couch.

“Don’t. Fucking. Say. It.”

He blinked innocently. “Of something new?”

Marian groaned and slid off the couch, joining her twin brother on the floor.

Their arguments were always playful even when they got physical, and over the years Garrett had learned how far he could go and when he needed to back off. There had been some… rather unfortunate incidents with him pushing his sister too far, ones that she still apologized for even though he knew it wasn’t her fault. These play fights were actually good for her, they’d realized. She could let off steam in a way that didn’t harm anyone, and joke around with the most important person in her life at the same time.

There was a knock on the door.

Marian was the one who stood up to get it, knowing very well that it would take too much effort to get Garrett of the floor. Like she’d said, he was a mess. A lovable mess, but a mess nonetheless.

Bethany stood in the hallway and gave her sister a little wave. “I’m surprised you’re already awake,” she said in her usual cheerful tone. Marian understood why Varric called her Sunshine.

“Garrett was embarrassing himself again.”

Cackling, Bethany followed the older girl inside and blew her brother a kiss. “I’m here on mom’s orders.”

“You mean… you mean otherwise you wouldn’t have come to see us?” Garrett sniffed. “I’m hurt, Bethy.”

“Oh, stop being so melodramatic. Mom’s suggesting a large party-type thing with us and your friends, Gary, but she’d also love it if some of Marian’s hockey buddies could tag along.” She stuck out her lower lip and looked at her older siblings with wide eyes. That was one thing Bethany was far too good at - she could always get the two twins to do exactly what she wanted. Carver not so much, but even he could only resist for so long.

“I can give them a call, but I can’t promise anything.”

“Great! That’s all.” She waved again and began to walk backwards towards the door.

“Hey, hey, you don’t get to leave us just yet!” Garrett managed to rise from his horribly slouched position on the floor.

“Ugh, why?”

“Because we haven’t been spending enough time together lately! You’re always so busy with college and your friends and whatnot that you never come see us unless, like today, mom forces you to!”

“Fiiine.” With an eye roll so dramatic it rivaled her brother’s, Bethany came back, crossing her arms in front of her chest. “What now?”

“Now,” Marian decided, “we’re going to go outside.”

Collective groaning from her siblings.

“Yes, we are. We’ll get some food and then you guys are going to show me your favorite places here in Kirkwall, alright? And Bethy, I’d love to see your campus.”

Even though they liked to joke about Marian always forcing everyone to go get fresh air (she probably picked that up from Aveline), they always ended up enjoying it. As they walked through the city, they laughed together and told stories, walking with their arms around each other.

It was afternoon when they returned, and out of the corner of her eye, Marian saw a white-haired man disappear into the apartment above Garrett’s.

_Interesting._


	6. Memories the Third

Carver is the third Hawke child. He isn’t one to make many jokes, like Garrett, he doesn’t have anything about him that stands out, like Marian, and he isn’t the youngest, like Bethany.

As such, he is often overlooked.

It annoys him to no end, at first, and that annoyance will stick with him for the rest of his life. But as he grows older, he starts to realize the positive side of it.

It’s easy for him to sneak out at night. His mother’s taking care of Bethany, who has a lot of nightmares, and his brother is taking care of Marian, whom he hasn’t seen in days. Carver doesn’t even have to be very quiet when he climbs out of his window and down into the backyard, then through the hole in the fence his father never got around to fixing.

He reaches the abandoned building down the road and makes sure no one’s watching as he crawls through the bushes surrounding it until he finds the blanket he left here one night. He wraps it around himself and looks up at the sky. He wishes he could see the stars, but the street lamps are too bright.

Malcolm taught him about constellations and their meanings, about planets and how they work.

Malcolm bought him his first telescope.

Malcolm has been dead for a year now.

But here, in this secret hiding spot, Carver feels like his father is with him again, talking to him, caring about his feelings and opinions.

He wishes he had nightmares. He wishes he had anger issues. Maybe then his mother and brother would coddle him, too.

Then he remembers where he is, and doesn’t wish that anymore. After all, Bethany and Marian will never know this connection he has to their father.


	7. Science!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've returned! I'm really sorry for not updating sooner, but I felt like this fic wasn't getting as many responses as I'd like... I'm someone who constantly needs validation so the second there's a chapter with no comments I'm like "yes okay they hate this", which I know sounds dumb but sadly that's the way it is.
> 
> But then magic happened and someone listed this lil fic as a work that inspired their work, and my motivation came back! So enjoy this update and let's hope I stay motivated <3
> 
> EDIT: thanks to laynacakes for pointing out that astrology and astronomy are, in fact, different things. I fixed that mistake and hopefully won't make it again!
> 
> EDIT 2: I've had to edit the previous chapter as well (just added a line about planets and such) because I've decided that Carver is more into astronomy (science and stuff) than astrology (star signs and stuff), though he has quite a bit of knowledge about both subjects.

“What do you mean, you’re not coming to see Merrill?”

Varric’s voice sounded somewhat apologetic. “You know I love Daisy, but I’m busy. Work. It’s that thing that adults do.”

“Oh come on!” Garrett was waiting for Isabela to finish picking out a present for Bethany. Not that it was her birthday or anything, Isabela just liked giving her presents.

“Maybe next time.”

Garrett lowered his voice and took on what he hoped was a convincing tone. “Marian’s gonna be there.”

“And?” If that affected Varric, he didn’t let Garrett hear. Damn phone conversations.

“Don’t pretend what you did wasn’t flirting.”

“I’m not pretending it wasn’t, Hawke.”

“But? There’s a but in there.”

“But I flirt with people sometimes?”

“Varric, you flirt with Isabela. That doesn’t count. I’m a gay man and I flirt with Isabela.”

Varric groaned. “That your sister’s there doesn’t change the fact that I’m busy.”

“Ha!” Garrett shouted, drawing the attention of some passersby. “So you do want to see her!”

“You’re so fucking stubborn.” Varric laughed, loudly. “So what if I do? She’s attractive.”

“She looks exactly like me.”

“Aw, Hawke, have I never told you how incredibly attracted I am to you?”

“Shut up.” Garrett blushed.

“Kitten, I’m done! You ready?”

“Ready!” He said goodbye to his best friend and hung up. “Varric’s not coming.”

“What a partypooper.” Isabela linked arms with him. “So it’s gonna be you, me, Marian, and Merrill?”

“Looks like it.”

“Carvo’s not coming?”

He snorted at the nickname. “Carver would probably attempt to compliment Merrill and end up breaking some ancient vase.”

“Too bad.” Isabela clicked her tongue. “He’s never gonna get anywhere with her if all he does is play sports and… what else does he do?”

“He likes astronomy.”

“Oooh, perfect!”

Garrett raised his eyebrow. The glint in Isabela’s eyes was dangerous. “I feel like I have to stop you right there.”

“No no, I… oh, I have to discuss this with Varric, you’d just blab and ruin it.”

“Hey!”

She kissed his cheek. “I love you, Kitten, but you can’t keep things to yourself.”

He grumbled. It was true.

They found Marian where they’d requested she’d be - directly in front of Merrill’s home. It was a small apartment building but the apartments were relatively large, which Merrill definitely needed. She owned a lot of things.

Isabela gave Marian a hug as a greeting. “I’m still very very upset that our last time together got cut short, but we’ll make up for it, okay?”

“Okay,” Marian replied with a stifled laugh. Though she hadn’t spent that much time with Garrett’s friends yet, she was already starting to feel comfortable around them and enjoy their company. Even if Isabela was a drama queen to rival her brother.

Garrett rang the doorbell and waited for a few seconds until he heard the buzz and opened the door. Together, they walked up two flights of stairs (with Isabela complaining as she always did) and more or less ran into Merrill. Her smile was so bright it could’ve blinded them and she was wearing a cute green dress.

“Oh, you’re finally here!” She said to Marian. “I’ve heard so much about you from Garrett and I kept telling him to let us meet you but it never worked! You are a hockey player, right? Is it true that you’ve won tons and tons of games like Garrett always says?”

Gently, Garrett placed his hand on Merrill’s shoulder. “It’s good to see you too, Merrill.”

She gasped. “Oh, I was rambling again! I’m so so sorry, I swear I can be quiet, I’m just really excited!”

Marian couldn’t help but smile. “It’s okay. Garrett’s right, you _are_ adorable.”

That made Merrill laugh shyly, but it didn’t take long for her to remember to let them into her apartment. The apartment was cozy with a small fireplace, but that was hard to focus on with all of the things Merrill owned. There were figurines of ships on a shelf next to a glass ball and what looked like a book about insects, though it was written in a different language. Another shelf was filled with antiquities that gave off a sort of steampunk feel, another held more books and a surprisingly large ant farm.

“Wow,” Marian whispered after what felt like a small eternity of looking around.

“Do you like it?” Merrill’s voice was small in a way that made the other three want to hold and protect her.

“I love it! Really, it looks like a museum in here.”

Merrill’s bright smile from earlier returned. “Oh, I’m so glad! I was so worried you’d think it’s too messy.” Happily, she bounded off to her kitchen to make them all some tea. Garrett followed to supervise, though Isabela noted it wasn’t the smartest thing to put him in charge of hot liquid and breakable objects.

Marian continued to look around as she and Isabela waited for the other two to return, when her eyes fell on the large telescope that stood by one of the floor-length windows. Slowly, almost as if in a dream, she walked towards it and reached out to run her fingers against the cold metal.

“Garrett mentioned your brother likes astrology.” Isabela was using her scheming voice. “Merrill’s… well, Merrill’s into just about everything that has to do with science, really. But I was thinking that, you know, since your brother has a crush on her…”

“Astronomy, actually. Does Carver know about this?”

Isabela shrugged and shook her head. “He doesn’t really have the ability to speak with Merrill. Not in full sentences, at least.”

It took a few more seconds before Marian began to speak again. “I think it would mean a lot to Carver to have someone to talk to about these things. He’s… well, right now he’s really into sports and such, but he’s always had such a passion for astronomy.” She smiled softly. “Our dad taught him a lot.”

“Your dad must’ve been amazing. Garrett speaks very highly of him.”

“He was.” Marian turned to look at Isabela. “He sort of… introduced us to a lot of our hobbies and passions. Carver with astronomy, Bethany with theater, Garrett with animals, and me with punching things.” Another soft laugh. “He bought me a boxing sack when I was… nine? Ten?”

Isabela opened her mouth as if to say something when the door opened and Garrett and Merrill entered with a tray. 

“Tea-time,” Garrett sang and carefully placed the tray on the coffee table. The four of them managed to find space on Merrill’s long, soft couch and all sipped on their tea. A comfortable silence settled over them, only broken by the crackling of the fire, until Isabela spoke.

“Merrill, did you know that Carver likes astronomy?”

“Really?” Merrill’s eyes widened and she turned to Garrett. “Why did you never tell me?”

Confused, Garrett tried to start multiple sentences, but none got past the first word.

Marian decided to rescue him. “Because Carver hasn’t really been that much into it lately… and that kind of makes us sad. He used to come to us all the time to talk about stars and planets and whatnot.” That was a bit of a lie, but one she could afford. “So, do you maybe want to talk to him sometime?”

Garrett realized what was happening. His jaw dropped.

Merrill didn’t notice. “Oh, of course! I’d love to!”

“I’m sure he’d love that as well, Kitten,” Isabela said.

“Should I come visit sometime?”

Both Garrett and Marian quickly shook their heads. They knew Carver wouldn’t survive being alone with Merrill just yet.

Luckily, Garrett figured out how to speak again. “Our mom is thinking about having a party-slash-dinner-type-thing with everyone.”

“Oh, perfect!” Isabela clapped her hands. “Then you can talk to him!”

Merrill nodded enthusiastically and managed to almost spill her tea in the process.

They spent the rest of the afternoon at Merrill’s, eating cookies and drinking tea. Merrill told Marian a bit more about herself - including her job, of course, since Marian still wasn’t quite convinced that Garrett’s friends weren’t secretly part of the mafia.

“I’m an engineer,” Merrill started. “I know I get distracted a lot but I really love making things! And building things and restoring things and learning how things work!”

Marian once again looked around the living room. “I can tell. I’ve never met someone who was so into science.”

“Oh! Well, yes, I suppose it’s not very common but I hope you don’t think it’s a bad thing.”

“Absolutely not!” Marian smiled and gave Merrill’s arm a gentle squeeze. “I know that Carver would absolutely love it here.”

“How is Carver?” Merrill asked. “I don’t get to see him very often.”

“Carver’s doing fine, throwing himself into sports and stuff,” Garrett answered, masterfully ignoring Isabela’s feet resting on his lap.

“Sometimes I feel like he doesn’t like me very much, he leaves so quickly whenever I see him.”

Isabela laughed. “Don’t worry, Kitten, Carver likes you. He’s just really bad at showing it.”

Merrill put on her thinking face, lips pursed and fingers tapping against the table. “Well then… I’ll just make sure to talk to him a lot at the party. Maybe without rambling too much.”

“Carver won’t mind your rambling, Kitten. Trust me.”

It was already starting to get dark outside when Isabela, Garret, and Marian finally left Merrill’s cozy apartment. Isabela said goodbye with a kiss on the cheek for Garrett and a playful wink for Marian, and left the twins to walk home by themselves. There was a calm, peaceful silence between them with neither of them feeling the need to say anything for a few minutes. Eventually, Garrett broke it.

“You’re here for two days and already start matchmaking with Isabela.”

His sister laughed loudly. “I’m as surprised as you are, honestly. Your friends are not exactly what I was expecting.”

“You were expecting people who curse and drink less?”

“That too.” She grinned. “What I meant was that I wasn’t expecting to be so comfortable around them so quickly. And I’ve already developed the urge to protect Merrill from all evil.”

Garrett gave his twin a long look. “You sounded a bit like Varric there.”

“I did?” Marian blinked. “Speaking of him… didn’t he originally want to come to Merrill’s too? I remember you saying something about that…”

“He was, but then work got in the way. But don’t worry, whilst you are working on Carver’s love life, I’ll be working on yours.”

Marian gave him a light shove and shook her head with a smile when he just laughed. “Please, I had one conversation with the guy.”

“That’s why I’ll make sure you have many more.”

“You don’t get to try and set me up until you’ve found out the hot neighbor’s name. And I _will_ be able to tell if you make something up.”

Garrett groaned as he dug out his keys and opened the door to his apartment building. “Fine. But if I die, it’s all your fault.”

“I’ll make sure to mention that at the funeral.”

Later that night, Marian woke up to a text message.

[Feathers - 12:38AM]

Guess who’s in Kirkwall.


	8. Memories the Fourth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: hints at homophobia

The start of high school is difficult enough for Bethany, even though the Hawkes have gotten a lot better at dealing with everything that happened before. Meeting new people is still difficult though, and so is having to face intimidating teachers and higher standards.

She does make one good friend - only to lose her after a few months.

Not all people react well to their best friend confessing to them.

Not all people react well to their best friend coming out to them in the same sentence.

Bethany sits in the room she shares with Carver, tear stains on her face. She knows her family will accept her, just as they accepted Garrett. It still hurts.

The door opens and Bethany is ready with an excuse to give Carver or her mother, but it dies in her throat. 

Marian sees her little sister’s tears and doesn’t ask, just sits down on the bed next to her and holds her in a careful, gentle hug. Bethany begins crying again, even more as Marian rubs soothing circles on her back. The sisters have not been spending much time together, and Bethany realizes how much she’s missed Marian, how much she’s needed her all this time.

It hurts less. She tells Marian everything and Marian doesn’t tense or twitch or get mad.

“I love you, Bethany,” she says.


	9. Crazy Cat Man

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yikes it's been forever
> 
> Anders is here! The others will all show up very very soon <3

There were many things Marian was expecting as she walked through the streets of Kirkwall on her own, texting the person she was about to meet.

Varric almost driving into her with a motorcycle was not one of them.

He apologized, of course, with an amused smirk and a semi-dramatic hair flip after he took off his helmet. It made her smile; his humor was so similar to that of her brother yet with more charm and less cringe-worthy puns.

“So without sounding too creepy, what is a beautiful woman like you doing all by herself?” he joked.

Marian rolled her eyes but couldn’t help the smile tugging at her lips. “I’m supposed to be meeting a friend.”

“Is this a friend or a _friend_?” Varric asked, one eyebrow raised. He seemed amused.

“Just a friend. My team’s goalie, in fact.”

“So not someone I would know.”

“No, unless Garrett’s talked about him.” Marian glanced at her phone briefly. No new messages. “He has a weird thing for feathers.”

Varric snapped his fingers. “Is this Crazy Cat Man?”

“Yes!” Marian laughed. “He used to go to our middle school, actually. And yes, he was already obsessed with cats back then.”

“I have to meet him right now.”

Marian’s smile faltered slightly. “I… are you sure?”

“Unless you don’t want me to, in which case I’ll pretend to be hurt.” Varric smiled. “But I’ll understand.”

“It’s not that I don’t want you to meet him, and you probably will sooner or later, but…”

“You have some catching up to do?”

“Yes. No!” Marian exclaimed when she realized what that could sound like. Sighing, she leaned against the nearest street lamp. “He’s a bit of an ass, and… well, the last time I introduced a male friend of mine to him, he wouldn’t stop coming up with innuendos, so I try to avoid situations like that.”

“That sounds vaguely familiar,” Varric remarked. “Well, you kids have fun. I’ll see you around?” He made it sound like a question, and Marian understood why. It wasn’t that he was trying to patronize her, but he was making this her choice because he knew she hated not having some type of escape route.

_Garrett must’ve told him_ , Marian thought as she nodded. “I think I’d like that.”

“So would I.” He smiled again, and there was no sarcasm behind it. “Next time, I’ll properly introduce you to Bianca. But for now…” He gave his motorcycle a pat.

Confused, Marian stared at him. “Bianca?”

He grinned, waved, and drove off.

“Who was _that_?”

Marian spun around, pulse racing, only to relax once she saw who it was. “Dammit Anders, you know I hate it when people do that.”

“Sorry, sorry, but who on earth _was_ that?” Anders looked anything but apologetic.

“Garrett’s best friend.”

“The Mafia Man?”

Marian groaned. “I can’t believe you two have nicknames for each other without having met once.”

“What’s his nickname for me?” Anders asked, surprised.

“The usual.” The smile returned to Marian’s lips as she took a step forward to lightly elbow her goalie in the stomach. “Hi, by the way.”

“Ugh, why must you wound me? I save the team’s ass at least a billion times, and this is how you reward me?”

“You snuck up on me. It’s revenge.”

“I said sorry!”

“You didn’t mean it.” Marian grinned.

Anders sputtered. “Yes I did! I so meant it! I am the most apologetic person in the world right now!”

She laughed and shook her head. “So how’s everyone?”

“Sleeping, mainly.” Anders still looked mildly offended, but that was normal for him. “Oh right, Morrigan’s pregnant.”

“Morrigan’s… _what_?!” Some people turned their heads to stare at them. “ _Pregnant_?! Who’s the father?!”

“She won’t tell us. Leliana tried to bribe her with cookies, but it didn’t work.”

“I can’t believe this.”

“None of us can, but she’s telling the truth.”

“Please tell me you’re not gonna invade her privacy or anything, you know she’s particular about stuff like that.”

Anders huffed. “Who do you think I am? Besides, she’s terrifying. I’m not about to get on her bad side.”

“Smart,” Marian agreed, linking her arm with Anders’. “Come on, let’s go to Garrett’s place.”

Garrett was at work, but he’d given his sister the spare key with the instruction to use it wisely. She told Anders that and he laughed, commenting on how typical that was. On their way up the stairs, they ran into a man with white hair. Marian froze and watched him leave.

“Um, hello?” Anders waved his hand in front of her face.

She blinked a few times. “Garrett spilled coffee in front of that guy.”

“Garrett spilled— you know what, I’m not even surprised. It’s a miracle he didn’t spill it _on_ that guy.”

“He lives above Gare, but I’ve only seen him twice so far.” Marian pursed her lips. “I don’t even know his name.”

“Does your brother know his name?”

“No. He was too focused on trying to pet his dog.”

“… is that a euphemism?”

“Do you know my brother at all? Of course it’s not a euphemism.”

Anders snorted and waited for Marian to unlock the door, then stepped into the apartment. He spun around once, taking in the wooden floor and white walls, the overly large couch, the fluffy carpet below it, and the TV that was currently playing _Catfish_.

“Anders!” Bethany yelled.

“Bethany!” Anders yelled.

“How did you get in here?” Marian asked. Her voice was a lot calmer.

The response came after Anders received the special Bethany tackle-hug. “Spare key.”

“How many spare keys does your brother have?” Anders laughed.

“Oh, tons,” Bethany replied. “He tends to forget he gave people keys, so everyone just kind of… shows up from time to time.”

“And I don’t have one yet? Your siblings keep hurting me today.”

“You would have one if you lived here, doofus!”

Anders blinked a few times. “Doofus?”

“Doofus.” Bethany’s voice was completely serious. After giving Anders a few reassuring pats, she turned to her older sister, all smiles again. “By the way, some attractive guy with white hair stopped by. Said something about someone named Lisa.”

Marian couldn’t help but laugh. “Garrett spilled coffee in front of him.”

“Classic Garrett.”

“Hate to interrupt,” Anders interrupted, “but who’s Lisa?”

Bethany shrugged and sat down on the couch again, crossing her legs. “Maybe Garrett knows?” She pulled out her phone and rapidly began texting someone.

“Children,” Anders said with a snort and sat down on the couch carefully. “So, I hear there’s going to be a party?”

“Where on earth did you hear that?” Marian raised her eyebrow and leaned against the wall.

“I have my ways.”

“Right. Well, mom wants everyone to meet everyone, so she’s been planning a big dinner. Knowing Garrett’s friends… and the rest of the team…”

“It’s going to be a disaster,” Bethany finished, still glued to her phone. “Garrett is having a heart attack, I think. I asked him about Lisa and he replied, and I quote, 'ldguzwieurhalsjdhja'.”

Anders blinked, impressed. “How did you even say that?”

“I have my ways,” she mimicked and winked.

A few seconds later, she screamed. “It’s his dog! It’s the hot guy’s dog!”

Being used to her sister, Marian barely flinched, just stood up and took the phone from Bethany’s hand to prevent any damage. “What did he say about the dog earlier?” she asked calmly. It was easy to forget that _she_ was supposed to be the explosive one.

“That he’d stop by with her if that’s okay… this has to happen. We have to make this happen.”

“We’re matchmaking for Garrett?” Anders smirked evilly. “I’m so in.”

For a few seconds, Bethany simply stared at him as if calculating something. “We need to talk,” she then said decidedly and stood up. With ease, she pulled Anders off the couch and into the bathroom.

Marian sighed fondly and shook her head. As annoying as these two could be, they were incredibly dear to her and she had grown more than accustomed to their chaotic ways.

Her phone vibrated and she fished it out of her bag.

 

[Unknown Number - 3:26PM]

hey pretty lady it’s Isabela i stole your number from Gare-Bear’s phone

listen i’m at the Hanged Man w/ him and Varric and i think he’s actually dying pls send help

 

She held in her laughter and saved the number in her contacts, then replied.

 

[other hawke - 3:28PM]

I’m going to have to steal that nickname to use against him. And he’s dying because the hot neighbor stopped by and wants to stop by again with his dog.

 

[Isabela - 3:28PM]

omg that explains so much, hot guys and dogs are Kitten’s absolute weaknesses

also Varric says hi

 

[other hawke - 3:29PM]

Tell him I say hi back.

 

[Unknown Number - 3:30PM]

Duly noted.

 

[Marian - 3:30PM]

I’m going to take a wild guess: you stole my number from my brother’s phone?

 

[Varric - 3:30PM]

I never steal.

Okay, I sometimes steal.

But not this time. I won it over with my wonderfully amazing charm and good looks.

 

Marian had no idea how to answer that and set her phone down with a thoughtful expression. Her gaze fell in the direction of the bathroom where Anders and Bethany were probably still plotting everyone’s demise or love lives. With a sudden idea, she grabbed a pen and notepad and left the apartment, leaving the door open and walking up the stairs.

When she came back, there was a note slid under their neighbor’s door.

 

My brother (the guy who spilled coffee in front of you) would love to meet you and Lisa again. We’re planning a dinner in two weeks with some friends, and you’re more than welcome to join.

Of course, if you want to drop by before that’s fine too, just don’t be surprised if someone who doesn’t even live here opens the door.

I’d also like to hereby apologize for my brother’s tendency to… well, you’ve seen him.

\- Marian Hawke.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are very much loved!! They give me motivation to write more <3
> 
> If you want to talk to me about this/have any questions or constructive criticism, either leave those in the comments or message me on tumblr @ not-into-frying-pans

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Shattered Souls and Weary Hearts](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7233424) by [thunderscape7](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thunderscape7/pseuds/thunderscape7)




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